You arrive to loads of multi storey car parks in the centre and very new shiny buildings. Not what I expected at all. I headed away from the high street and many other streets of shops….. to the Information Centre and was given a free map of the town centre and Castle and its surrounding grounds and bought, for a mere £2, the ‘Colchester Heritage Trail’ booklet.
The Colchester Heritage Trail ‘did what it said on the tin’ and walked you from the War Memorial in front of the main gates of the Castle & Park past various monuments. It takes about 2 hours to complete, although a stop off for a glass of wine and a sitdown (in a very old Church which was now a bar/cafe) was very welcome(and a very nice part of the day) . The Norman Castle and the surrounding park is a very nice space – dead centre of town and displays a Stone Obelisk to mark the spot where royalists were executed following their surrender at the Siege of Colchester in 1648. You then follow the map to the Dutch Quarter, so named after the Flemis weavers who settled there during the 16th Century (just a bunch of old houses!!) Ah…but there was one house with a plaque which mentioned Jane and Ann Taylor…….famous sisters who wrote, in 1806, children’s verse including ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ ….. (sad I know…but I got excited when I saw that….as the rest was disappointing!).
You then pass a Church and 15th century timber framed buildings and then more old buildings built around 1842 and a water tower built in 1882, aptly nicknamed ‘Jumbo’…as it’s huge!
All the above sounds quite interesting when you read it….but hugely disappointing in lots of ways!
(The Colchester Heritage Trail booklet describes Colchester as .... "the oldest recorded town in Britain. When the romans invaded in AD43 their first major conquest was Camulodunum, headquarters of the south eastern tribes, from where the Emperor Claudius received the submission of several British kings. The Romans first built a legionary fortress on the site of the present town centre, converted a few years later to a civilian settlement names Colonia Vietricensis (colony of the Victorious) after the Claudian victory. It became the first capital of the Roman province of Britannia. In AD60 the Celtic queen Boudica led a huge revolt against the Roman occupation, razing the new settlement to the ground. After the defeat of the revolt (well, at least she had a go!) a defensive wall was built around the reconstructed town. It is the oldest surviving town wall in Britain)" I saw it and …......it’s just a wall!
You must go and see for yourself though…..because if you want to combine a day’s shopping somewhere different with some really good authentic, original and creative shops, and have a picnic in the Castle grounds which a short walk from the shops…....it’s a great place.
However, on another day out and country walk…… I visited BARHAM in Kent and it was a lovely day out. The village is described by Kent County Council as being :
“6 miles southeast from Canterbury, delightfully situated on the Dover Road, a little south from the Barham Downs and is surrounded with picturesque scenery and rural beauty. The hop gardens, are no more, but beautiful semi-wooded countryside is now protecting the area for future generations. Being almost equidistant between Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and makes the village an ideal centre from which to explore attractive scenery and over 1,000 years of history. It isn't that Barham has no history itself. The village dates back, at least, to its first mention in 799AD - and contains 185 historic sites that have been catalogued by Kent County Council. The parish contains 77 listed structures, not only buildings but walls, a footbridge and - ...a 1936 classic telephone kiosk. It provided the home for one of the four knights who, in 1175, murdered St Thomas a Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral…. as a result the family adopted the name of this village and descendants with that family name.”
You start the walk at a pub called "The Duke of Cumberland" and finish up there too...what more could you ask for. The three other people I was with…..enjoyed it aswell as it was actually to celebrate my friend’s 60th birthday the week before. We all had a meal and a few drinks in their very nice garden and ‘put the world right’, as the news of the death of ‘that nasty horrible man’ was just released that morning.The pub was what I call 'a real pub' unchanged over the years with dried hops around the bar area and a very nice atmosphere with friendly staff. We all had a good 'pub meal (without waiting long) as we were hungry after our 4+ mile walk. We finished off the day by going to Canterbury (which offers Canterbury Cathedral which is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site) but ended up in a lovely rustic Bar/Café ….that Canterbury has so many of. All in all - a very pleasant day in the heart of Kent..........off to Spain next!
3rd May 2011
